Pirate woman

Yo ho yo ho it’s a pirate’s life for me.Yo ho yo ho it’s a pirate’s life for me. There are a couple of ways to do a pirate costume for this upcoming Halloween, if you decide that you do indeed want to dress as a pirate. There is of course the Halloween staple of red, white and black pirate costumes, that generally feature a vest or tunic of some sort, and striped black and white pants that look like they were shredded at the bottom. But there are tons of other versions available now as well.

There is what is best known as the “Captain Jack” costume, since there are tons of variations of it, but it’s clear that they were all made to look like Jack’s outfit from the Pirates of the Caribbean films. The key to a good pirate costume really is layers and essential props. If you’re looking at costumes to purchase, keep an eye out for these things, and you’ll notice that they make the costume seem cooler and more authentic. A simple white shirt, pants and an eye patch would do the trick. But if you added a couple of belts (one to hold up your pants and the other to attach your gun holster to), then you would begin to see the improvements already. Why not take it a step further and add a pair of knee-high boots, or a vest/jacket of some kind? Perhaps a hat with a feather in it, a sword, or a parrot to sit on your shoulder would add some extra flair. Take a step back and just look, your pirate costume looks like a real pirate now! This is one of those costumes that (if you have the means to) you could do a little bit of splurging and watch the difference it makes in the finished product.

Marilyn Monroe

Occasionally people throw parties that have nothing to do with Halloween, themed parties where people dress up just for the heck of it; and one popular topic for these themed parties is having everyone dress up as ‘dead celebrities’. But why not bring this idea and carry it over to Halloween? I admit that to dress as certain people for this Halloween would be in bad taste, as they haven’t been gone for very long and there is still a lot of morning happening on their behalf; but people like Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Jimi Hendrix, Humphrey Bogart, Freddy Mercury, and Bettie Page are perfectly alright to dress as.

Think of it as honoring their memory by reminding people (in this case, fellow Halloween celebrators) of their amazing gifts and accomplishments in life. For a few of these celebrities there are costumes available to purchase based on what they are most remembered for. Generally the Elvis costumes will feature a white pantsuit with aviator sunglasses and lots of rhinestones to reassure people that yes, he was a king. For Marilyn the most easily available costume would be her white halter top dress from that oh-so-memorable photograph where she is standing in the street and steam from below is threatening to blow up her skirt.

For the others I mentioned -or anyone else you wanted to dress as- there are probably not as many options for buying a costume; but that doesn’t mean there are plenty of ways to get across who you are trying to be. Of course it helps if your friends (or the people at the party you are attending) have similar interest or knowledge but if not; welcome the challenge. Accessories and small details like having the exact hairstyle/color as this person (which can be achieved with your own hair or a wig) can be the make or break as to who recognizes the celebrity you are attempting to be, and who does not. Just remember though, that if you are attempting to make a wig look the way you want it to; under no circumstances should you use a flat iron or curling iron on it. It will melt the plastic and possibly ruin both the wig and your hairstyling tool. Attempt to get one that already looks generally like what you want, and style it using hairspray or gel.

As always, remember to have fun with it! Acting a little bit like the person you are trying to portray will definitely help in getting your point across, and will make the party more enjoyable for everyone. Unless the person you’re dressed as is a dictator of some kind. I wouldn’t recommend acting the part in that case.

Hippie

In the 1960s and early 70s, a group of people emerged in result of the state of the world. They protested the Vietnam war, preached love and peace, the women burned their bras, and the men grew long beards. Interestingly enough, they also make for great inspiration for Halloween costumes!

The easiest way to be someone in a hippie costume is to get a pair of bell bottom jeans, a tie-dye t-shirt, muss up your hair, and paint a peace sign on your cheek. If you cant find a pair of bell bottom jeans, you can cut a slit along the outside seam of a pair of old jeans that you don’t care about anymore and either sew, glue or safety pin In a colorful insert to make them into bellbottoms. It would add a little flair to the costume for sure. Headbands worn across the forehead were popular, as well as fringed vests, and circular rimmed color-tinted sunglasses. Both men and women tended to have long hair, and it was usually parted down the center of their scalp without much in the way of bangs. Some other things to keep in mind when attempting to create your own hippie costume would be that this time period loved color, patters, flowers, nature, and the things in life that make you feel good. The more of these things you can incorporate, the better.

As always, if you’re too busy to go hunting for these items or simply don’t have the technical know-how to sew or whatever; there are full hippie costumes available to purchase. Then you really don’t have to worry about much of anything and can be more hippie-like in the sense that you’re not stressing out. Hippies were very calm, mellow folk, after all. The costume packages usually come with everything you will need; from the bell bottom pants and brightly colored top to the vest and other accessories. Some companies even offer accessory sets, that (for example) would feature the headband, sunglasses, and peace-sign medallion all in one pack; which would certainly save you a bit of running around.